If you are pricing a BYD Dolphin, the numbers that differ from a petrol hatchback are road tax and insurance. This guide puts each one side by side with the purchase price and the COE. It also points out one result that surprises: on its price page, a new Dolphin costs clearly more to insure than a 3-year-old one.
The insurance prices are examples for one stated driver, read on 20 October 2026. Your own quote will depend on your details. Use them to judge the scale of each cost.
The Dolphin on sale
The new-car list read on 2026-10-10 shows one Dolphin, a hatchback made in China:
- Dolphin Electric Premium 60.5 kWh: electric, 133bhp
Our quote form lists the BYD Dolphin as a single electric entry. The insurance figures below are for that car.
The price to buy
As listed on 2026-10-10, the Electric Premium 60.5 kWh was S$184,888, COE included. List prices move with each COE round. When you compare offers, check what comes with each one, such as a charger or servicing.
COE for an electric Dolphin
The price page sets out the rule. A fully electric Dolphin needs a Category A COE if its motor is 110kW (147bhp) or less. It needs a Category B COE if it is more powerful.
In the October 2026 1st round, Category A closed at S$130,001 and Category B at S$130,100. Ask the seller which category the car is registered under. The COE page has the latest results.
Road tax
Road tax on an electric car follows motor power. For the 133bhp (99kW) motor, LTA's formula gives S$1,495.68 a year, before any age surcharge.
Past 10 years, the surcharge applies:
- Over 10 years: +10%
- Over 11 years: +20%
- Over 12 years: +30%
- Over 13 years: +40%
- Over 14 years: +50%
The road tax page shows how the electric rates are set.
Here's what you'll pay to insure it
The BYD Dolphin price page prices this profile:
- Car: Dolphin, registered 3 years ago, private use, comprehensive cover
- Driver: aged 40, married, office job, driving 10 to 19 years
- Record: 50% no-claim discount (NCD), no claims
- Repairs: authorised workshop, no add-ons
11 insurers price it. The lowest premium is S$787.08 a year. The insurer whose lowest plan is dearest asks at least S$1,822.13, which is S$1,035.05 more, or 132% on top. All prices include 9% GST.
Five insurers on our panel have no online price for this profile. Some do not quote electric cars online, and one prices only for repairs at any workshop.
Check the plan type
The lowest price on the page is for a collision-only plan. The next ones up are full comprehensive plans. That gap in cover can explain part of the gap in price, so read what each plan pays for.
The excess also varies. Plans carry S$0 to S$3,000, with S$600, S$750, S$800 and S$900 among them. One plan is for any workshop.
How the price moves
The price page lists the lowest price when one thing changes:
- No NCD (0%): S$1,168.64, S$381.56 more
- 20% NCD: S$1,168.64, S$381.56 more
- Driver aged 27, 3 years' driving, 30% NCD: S$1,168.64, S$381.56 more
- Driver aged 65, 20 or more years' driving: S$963.72, S$176.64 more
- New car, registered this year: S$1,001.91, S$214.83 more
- Car 8 years old: S$771.40, S$15.68 less
NCD makes the biggest change, at 48% more without it. A new car comes next, at S$214.83 more than the 3-year-old example. An older driver also pays more here. An 8-year-old car costs only a little less. These are lowest prices only; dearer plans can move by other amounts.
Pros and cons of its insurance costs
In its favour
- For the standard driver, it costs less to insure than all six similar electric cars on its page.
- An older car costs a little less to insure.
- Eleven insurers price it online.
Against it
- A new car costs more to insure than a 3-year-old one.
- A driver of 65 pays more than the standard driver.
- Five insurers on our panel give no online price for it.
Against other electric cars
For the same driver and car age, the price page lists six:
- Audi e-tron Electric: S$1,505.85, from 7 insurers
- Tesla Model Y: S$1,147.48, from 11 insurers
- Tesla Model 3: S$1,093.31, from 11 insurers
- Kia EV6: S$1,038.46, from 7 insurers
- Mercedes-Benz EQA: S$1,005.26, from 6 insurers
- Hyundai Ioniq 5: S$954.21, from 9 insurers
Their average lowest price is S$1,124.10. The Dolphin comes in 30% below that, and none of the six costs less to insure. Other BYD models are on the BYD car insurance page.
Costs that depend on you
- Charging: depends on where you charge, what that charger costs and how far you drive. Check whether your HDB block or condo has chargers.
- Parking: your season rate at home, plus work and town.
- ERP: set by your routes and times.
- Servicing: follow the maker's schedule. Tyres and brakes still wear. Ask what the warranty covers, including the battery.
- Depreciation: depends on what you pay and what the car fetches later in its COE life.
The bottom line
For the Dolphin, dated as shown:
- Road tax: S$1,495.68 a year before any age surcharge (LTA's formula, checked 2026-10-19)
- Insurance, standard driver: from S$787.08 a year (20 October 2026)
- Insurance, no NCD: from S$1,168.64
- Insurance, new car: from S$1,001.91
- Insurance, car 8 years old: from S$771.40
One-off costs, for reference: a list price of S$184,888 as listed on 2026-10-10, and a COE in the October 2026 1st round of S$130,001 (Category A) or S$130,100 (Category B).
Before you buy: car insurance for the BYD Dolphin
Before you drive off, get your car insurance through Shenton Brokers. Compare car insurance for the BYD Dolphin to see today's prices from every insurer we compare and how they change with the driver and the car's age. Or get a quote with your own details.